Commit to be Fit: Lessons from Autumn Alchemy

Wow, what amazing fall foliage we have enjoyed this year! The vibrant trees have definitely been the highlight of our commute to school.

While admiring the beautiful leaves, my oldest asked me why the leaves are changing colors. When I explained they are in the process of dying he got quiet and said, “It’s so pretty … but also kind of sad.”

‘Torpor’ = Conserving Energy

I agree with my sensitive little boy. If we only see the leaves as dying, it can indeed be sad.

However, if you think about what the trees are preparing to do — conserve energy during the winter in order to bud and bloom in spring — this feels inspiring and life-affirming. This conservation of energy for mammals and plants is called “torpor,” and can remind humans that reprieve often leads to rejuvenation.

I read somewhere that trees become their strongest in autumn. Because they aren’t bearing fruit or producing leaves, all of their energy is pushed down to the roots. So, what externally appears as death is actually the catalyst for new life.

Pruning for New Growth

My sister-in-law, Marie, recently shared a valuable insight from her Bible study. She explained that, just as flowers require careful pruning for them to bloom more beautifully, we too must trust in a higher power to help us when we encounter the need to “let go” of the things that aren’t serving us well.

Whether it’s relationships, habits or extracurricular activities, pruning can be a painful process. Yet, by trusting in the divine, we enable ourselves to grow in ways we never thought possible.

So, when we encounter various trials that call for us to adapt to something that has been lost or taken away from us, we have the ability to frame that loss as a “dying” and can ask the master gardener to help us grow into a more beautiful creation.

Just as trees release energy to their roots, humans will benefit when they go to their root system — the very core of their being — to surrender or release their energy to the belief that what was taken away or “pruned” may serve as the catalyst for new growth. This process of going deep within will grant the energy needed to flourish in the next season or chapter of one’s life.

When we take this seasonal lesson from the trees to let go, trust in the process and gather strength from within, we can take inspiration from their beautiful, yet difficult, transition from autumn to winter. Embracing the opportunities for growth that this season of reprieve and transition offers, you'll be better equipped to bloom and thrive, just as the trees will do next spring.

“Like autumn leaves whose beauty is enhanced in the final season of their lives, may their beauty be a reminder to us that we are most beautiful when we die to the parts of ourselves that limit our ability to live and love wholeheartedly.” — Mary Beth Helgens, M.Min.

Kylie Alger is a certified wellness coach and co-owner of the Well-Woman: Body, Mind & Spirit. Comments: kylie@thewellwoman.org.